Swap coffee for light

If you struggle to get up at the same time every morning, Heather recommends using light to your advantage. “There’s a part of the brain called the suprachiasmatic nucleus. This receives light and sets everything up for the day,” says Darwall-Smith. “Getting outside or looking at natural light out of a window is highly beneficial to set that clock.” During the winter months you can try putting daylight bulbs into your overhead lights instead.

Darwall-Smith explains that creating a routine in the morning of getting 10 minutes of natural light followed by 10 minutes of movement (“even if that’s just putting on loud music and dancing around your bedroom when you’re getting dressed”) is more powerful than relying on stimulants like coffee to set your brain up for the day. “This sequence is very powerful because you are setting up your internal rhythm,” notes Darwall-Smith.

Make time to wind down in the evening

Sleep pressure is a biological response that makes us want to go to sleep. If we don’t build up enough sleep pressure through the day we won’t be able to settle easily or sleep for long.

“Sleep pressure is created from the moment we get up when the brain begins building up a powerful molecule called adenosine. It’s a very natural process,” Darwall-Smith explains. “Adenosine and melatonin create a sleep gate that you build up to help you fall asleep at night time.”

Things that get in the way of building up sleep pressure are caffeine (which “sticks to receptors in the brain that block adenosine”), blue light and exercise. “If you do a HIIT class at 8pm at a gym full of bright lights, you’ll get a massive flash of adrenaline, your body will heat up and it will disrupt your sleep pressure,” she says.

To get a good night’s sleep you must allow yourself time to cool down. This could be through taking a cool shower, sitting in low light at home, or going to bed a bit later if you have done exercise in the evening. “You’ve got to work with your biological rhythms,” says Darwall-Smith.

8 simple ways to improve your sleep for good, according to science